Working From Home - Tips to Help “Flatten the Curve” of Your Frustration
With everyone working as a community to “flatten the curve” of the coronavirus, you may find you’ve been instructed to work at home or with limited in-office hours. As I’ve worked full-time, building and running my own business from home for the past few years, I thought I could share some tips of things I’ve learned along the way. Working from home is not for everyone, even if you normally like to be alone, but with these tips, I hope to “flatten the curve” of your distractions or possible frustrations.
Make a Designated Work Space
If you don’t have access to a home office, you may need to find another space within your home, preferably where you can close the door, and dedicate that space just for work. I don’t recommend using a living space like the dining or living room. This space will allow you to get into your work mode while you are in that space. I also like this division of space between personal and work, that way you aren’t eating dinner with family and see emails rolling in on the computer in the corner, etc. You’ll find if you have a designated space to work, you won’t feel distracted or “in the way”, especially if you have other family members at home right now if schools are closed in your area.
I suggest a space with some natural light and a nice table or desk area you can just leave alone at the end of the day. If you designate a space for your work items you’ll know exactly where to find paperwork, notes, or other items you might need to reference. This will also be the space you’ll make your work phone calls so make sure you feel comfortable, professional, and organized in this space.
PRO TIP: Headphones Are Your Friends
Another distraction could be whatever might be going on outside of your work area. Maybe Mondays is landscaping day, where everyone seems to have a lawnmower running or the leaf blower blowing. Maybe you never noticed how long your neighbor’s dog sits outside and just barks, barks, barks. A pair of good headphones can do wonders! Put your phone on vibrate so you can feel it ringing, put the earbuds in and get lost in your music, rather than get distracted by your new environment.
Get Dressed and Make Your Bed
Yes, this sounds like something your mom might have told you to do when you were younger, but it makes a world of difference. Making your bed makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something for yourself right away, which will help you get in the right mode for work. Getting dressed for work, allows you to be ready for anything - last-minute video calls, needing to run out to get something done, and it overall sets the tone. Being dressed in work clothes can also signal to your other family members you’re in your work clothes and ready to go to work.
Ignore the Laundry (and the Dishes, and the Shopping)
This one I struggle with, but it’s one of those things that you have to “turn off’ if you can. Remember that the laundry, dishes, grocery shopping gets done during your off hours normally, so keep with that schedule. Working from home doesn’t mean you need to optimize this time to catch up with all of your other chores. Don’t feel torn between doing your professional work at the same time as your personal work. This will help you feel more accomplished on both fronts.
PRO TIP: Recruit Help
If you have kids at home, or other family members who are off of work, recruit them to get a few chores done before the end of the day. Sometimes, you’ll feel better if you ask for assistance with the housework. I have also been known to order my groceries online and have them delivered to the house to save time.
Designate Work Blocks and Set Accountability
While you’re working at home, you’ll need to communicate with everyone in the house that you will be working between designated hours. Tell your family members you’ll meet them for lunch in the dining room where you can plan to visit with them during that time. Take a two-hour lunch break if you have that flexibility, but make sure that you return to solid work hours.
I’ve found setting rewards for myself to ensure I put in the time can be very effective. This could be getting off early, a cup of coffee, or a dance session to one of my favorite songs. This will help you feel more accomplished throughout the day and allow you to “leave it at the door” and log off at the end of the day.
Utilize Messaging Apps
If you are working remotely with a team of coworkers, be sure to designate a method for the team to communicate virtually. Phone calls can be disruptive if you need to just ask a quick question. Sometimes when people are “in the zone” they’ll ignore phone calls and emails. Establish a messaging system - other than email or phone calls - where you can socialize, ask quick questions, or collaborate on a project. Using messaging apps like Google Hangouts or Slack can cut back on the lengthy discussions on the phone and allow for questions to be answered quickly, making the team more efficient.
Virtual Meetings
For those meetings you had planned for in-person meetups, switch it to a virtual video call. Using Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, or the like, you can still see other coworkers, team members, or clients. This could work for virtual lunches or office occasions where you might celebrate someone’s birthday or their achievement. Be sure to connect a little personally on these video calls before jumping right into business. This allows you to settle into a discussion, which takes a little longer when you aren’t in-person.
Get Some Vitamin D
This is essential to feeling well while working from home. Take a break every few hours to step outside and breathe in some fresh air. I like to start my day drinking my coffee outside on the porch before I get to work. I will then step outside, check the mail, or take a quick stroll around the block and then again back to work. If the weather works in your favor, I highly suggest moving to an outdoor workspace for a change of scenery - feel the breeze, hear the birds, and soak in some sun.
PRO TIP: Don’t Become A Hunchback
If you are anything like me, you can get sucked into a project and without any external interruptions, you can stay hunched over your laptop for hours. I have programmed my Alexa routines to tell me something encouraging, ring a peaceful bell, or howl like a wolf to distract me from my project and remind me to get up and move. This method works well with reminders on your phone, but my Alexa settings make me smile.
Actually Stop Working at the End of the Day
Maybe you are finding you have a little more time on your hands, because you don’t have commute home. If this is the case, it’s tempting to stay a little late to get one more thing done. However, that can often eat into the time you need to rest, rejuvenate, and transition from professional to personal mindsets, which is essential when you’re adjusting to a new work schedule. I highly suggest using that extra time you have, for additional “me-time”. Workout, take a walk with the dog, or fold the laundry. I like to change my playlist to something more upbeat and straighten up the house, go outside or for a walk, or water the plants before getting dinner started. Don’t just close down and jump right into dinner, use your “commute time” to decompress, move around, and switch gears.
Make Sleep and Exercise a Priority
Working at home can really shake your normal everyday routine and disrupt your sleep. I used to find myself waking up in the dead of night with a nagging work thing on my mind. My laptop was just in the other room, so I would get up with the intention of just doing that one thing and thinking I’d go right back to sleep. Well, 4 hours later the house is waking up and I’ve not gotten the rest I need for the day.
If you are able to work from home or remotely outside your office, you most likely have the type of job that you generally are sitting behind a computer screen. Making sure you have an exercise routine is imperative to keeping your health tip-top, which in today’s world is important. Plus, you’ll sleep better and your immune system only benefits from that.
PRO TIP: Jot it Down and Go Back to Sleep
I use a journal now - I jot down my thoughts if they are keeping me up and then I know I won’t forget them by the next morning. I find that my mind rests more now that I have things written down and have faith that I will get to those things in the morning. What’s an even better tactic - give yourself 5 mins at the end of the work day to evaluate what you’ve completed and what you want to set out to do the next day. Make a list, jot down lingering ideas. This combats the need to be thinking about things when you are trying to sleep.
Have Other Tips You Want to Share?
It’s my hope that with these tips you can have an easier time adjusting to your new work environment and schedule during this time while things might be a little off-kilter. If you have any tips for working at home or are struggling with something I didn’t mention here, comment below. I would love to hear what you have on your mind.
